Tales of the Guardians
by RetroWriter2012
Summary: In this World of Disney miniseries, the lives of the many reincarnations of Sean Thomas are examined from their rebirths to their deaths, featuring worlds and characters introduced in prior installments of the series and those that make their first appearance in these tales.
1. Second Chance

**Second Chance (Sheryl's Tale)**

_Sean Livingston Thomas. Father to Brandy Thomas, his lovely daughter. Husband to Christina Thomas, his beautiful wife. Sean survived by the love and grace of these women. The life he lived was a humbled one. He may not have been a perfect man, but he certainly was a good one – in body and spirit. Today, we give a somber farewell to Sean, as we lay him to rest on God's wonderful earth. He departs this world for one far greater in the kingdom of our Heavenly Father. Let us pray now that our righteous father will keep Sean's spirit beside Him and guide him in this next life._

* * *

><p>It was a wonderful eulogy delivered by the priest of Sean's church. A tall, heavyset, bald black man donned in a black choir dress and a purple tippet. He stood at the podium beside the coffin that contained Sean's body, closed and prepared to be lowered into the freshly dug grave. There was quite the congregation gathered for the funeral, many friends and just a few family members. A multitude of Muppets were to be found, all the characters Sean grew up knowing and eventually worked with after his employment to KMUP Studios. His sisters – Kimberly, Meagan, and Ciciley – were present – grayed, wrinkled, and somewhat plumped yet still gorgeous.<p>

At the forefront were Christina and Brandy, both donned in the most amazing funeral dresses that may have been quite alluring to the eyes of those in attendance. Christina's appeared almost as a black coat, buttoned up from the rim of the miniskirt to the collar; with it, she wore a black fedora complete with a veil that shadowed her heavily weeping and runny face. Brandy had chosen to wear a miniskirt with a black top that bore her cleavage, along with a black polyester jacket; the assortment matched perfectly with her long raven hair.

By the moment Sean's coffin was lowered, Christina lost total control, weeping loud enough for all those behind her to hear. Brandy did her best to comfort her, placing her arms around her and repeatedly telling her that it's O.K. She was surprised by her inability to shed any tears. She loved her father incredibly so, even though he was not there for her as often as she wished. Could that have been the reason for her dry eyes? Was she still harboring those feelings of abandonment even now upon his death?

If only I had a second chance with him, she regretfully pondered.

* * *

><p>Among the congregation of mourners, Yen Sid was in attendance. Although, for the sake of keeping himself conspicuous, he maintained a guise that he felt necessary to have when he ventured into realms out of the Disneyverse. This guise was that of a young blond female, one that he named "Lisa Stevens." Both the face and name were inspired by a sorceress he once knew in Fantasia who was long since deceased. The only setback to the guise was Yen Sid's eyes, still carrying his penetrable gaze even under Lisa's blue hue, prompting him to wear sunglasses, which was apt to the weather that day.<p>

As wonderful as the priest's eulogy was, there was much of it that Yen Sid had to disagree with. It was not heaven Sean's spirit was headed nor was his body being put to the earth there and then. Unlike the others there in attendance, Yen Sid knew the truth, only because he was able to catch it just after a recent discovery in the Disneyverse…the _real_ destination for Sean's spirit.

As for his body, it was definitely no longer in the coffin. By the point in which the casket was lowered, Sean's body had vanished – transferred through the invisible boundaries of that realm and into those surrounding the Disneyverse. And, once Yen Sid had sensed this occurrence, he took his cue in leaving the Los Angeles cemetery earlier before everyone else. He took one last look at Christina and Brandy, the wife and daughter Sean was leaving behind, both enticing in their respective outfits. He could certainly understand how Sean could be so fortunate to have such beautiful, strong women in the final days of his old life.

Yen Sid returned to his workshop on Fantasia where his apprentice, Mickey Mouse, and the dog he presented to him some Christmases ago, Pluto, anxiously waited. Upon returning, the guise of Lisa Stevens faded away and Yen Sid returned to true form. He left behind the funeral but he was now present for the rebirth. Just as soon as he had arrived, a large pile of glittering white dust appeared laid out over his worktable, as he anticipated.

"It showed up out of nowhere, Master!" Mickey exclaimed, pointing to the dust. "What is it?"

"That, my apprentice, is our new guest."

They stood and gazed at the white dust for hours. A bored Pluto rested on the floor, his eyes halfway open yet still staring at the dust.

Mickey yawned and stretched at one point, growing tired and a bit impatient as well. "How much longer now, Master?"

"Have patience, apprentice. We are witnessing the one of many rebirths to happen for Sean Thomas in his afterlife. Twice, I have failed to keep up with this event as it has happened with both mother _and_ son. I was not able to locate Joanie when she reincarnated, neither Sean in _his_ first. Fortunately, I was able to channel the path of the remains lying there at my table as they were scattered between dimensions."

"How were ya able to do _that_?"

"I had to be at the moment where it started. The first instance when Sean's body reincarnated at his funeral. Once it had, it was almost impossible to determine the exact incarnations. Seventeen of them spread across multiple different realms and timelines. Even now, I am unsure of which one I have brought to _this_ realm and time for my observation."

Mickey was amazed out of his boredom by Yen Sid's recount. "Gosh. I wonder what he'll be like. Will he be funny? Will he be really smart? Will he be as goofy as Goofy?"

"It'll be a _she_, my apprentice. Only a woman can hold the title of Guardian."

All of the sudden, Pluto rose up, snapped from his own boredom. He approached the worktable and the dust itself, a gesture that took Mickey and Yen Sid by surprise.

"Pluto! Get away from there!" Mickey beckoned, but the curious mutt was too interested in the glittery dust to obey his owner's command.

He looked more closely and even sniffed at it.

Then, without notice, a pair of feminine green eyes emerged, blinking rapidly right at Pluto. Startled by this, Pluto rushed back to Mickey, who was as equally startled by the strange happening.

Yen Sid beamed with satisfaction. "It begins."

A mouth with a pair of sparkling white teeth followed after the eyes and shortly before the bright, peach-skinned hand and arm of a woman rose out of the dust and reached out long.

The entire event nauseated Mickey while it fascinated Yen Sid.

"What the heck's goin' on?" The Sorcerer's Apprentice inquired.

"The remnants of the Guardian are birthing."

Another arm and a leg emerged out of the glittering white dust next. However, the moment quickly got out of hand when a bright, peach-skinned buttocks shot out from the dust.

"Oh, boy!" A blushing Mickey cried out, prompted to magically summon a long red robe from his fingertips and put it across the worktable, covering the white dust and the random assortment of body parts emerging out of it.

Mickey and Yen Sid watched as the cloth of the robe shifted in response to the movement happening beneath it. A human shape could be detected as "filling out" underneath the robe as the arms and legs stuck out first – the arms conveniently going through the sleeves. A head with long, flowing blond hair followed, hanging over the edge of the worktable, taking its first deep breath, and coughing out a white cloud.

The scent of fresh fruit filled the air at the arrival of the reincarnated woman sprawled out over Yen Sid's worktable. The woman blinked her green eyes – just as she did when her body was just a pile of white dust – and sat up. The red robe Mickey conjured was all that covered up her otherwise nude body.

She gazed blankly at Yen Sid and Mickey, who were not certain if she recognized them or not.

Yen Sid was urged to check otherwise. "Do you know who we are?" He spoke as slowly and carefully as he could, uncertain if her cognitive process had fully developed.

The woman nodded in reply.

"Do you know who _you_ are?" Yen Sid followed.

On this, the woman delayed in her response, seeming to have total amnesia, until she sluggishly began to mutter in syllables, "Mmmm…iiiiiyyyyy…nnnnnuuhhhh…aaaayyyy…mmmmmmm…iiiiiiiissssss…Ssssshhhhhhhh…aaaaaaaaawwwww…nnnnnnaaaaaahhhhhh!"

Yen Sid shook his head. "Your name _used to be_ 'Sean.' Now, you must take on a new name to suit your new appearance."

The blonde appeared to have understood, acknowledging his advice with a nod. Her mind, as much of it that continued to develop rapidly in intervals, carefully considered one suitable name that pleased her.

As soon as she settled on one, she spoke it aloud, again by syllables: "Ssssshhhhh…." Yen Sid and Mickey believed at first she would again say "Sean," but her next couple syllables spelled out a different name. "Eeeeeeerrrrrrr…yyyyyyyyyllllll!"

"Your new name's gonna be 'Sheryl'?" Mickey asked, and the woman nodded with a smile. "That's a pretty name." Her smile grew at the compliment of the friendly mouse.

Sheryl impulsively stood up from the worktable but nearly fell, managing to cling onto the table to steady herself. She looked down at her legs, surprised to see how long they were. "Have I ever had legs this long before?"

Mickey and Yen Sid were taken aback by how unexpectedly her speech had entirely advanced in mere seconds.

"You once did when you were Sean Thomas." Yen Sid confirmed for her.

Her luscious green eyes moved from herself to the room surrounding her, carefully keeping herself upright. "Everything looks so much different."

"How so?" Mickey asked.

"I feel like…I'm looking down from a tall building."

Yen Sid considered her perspective. "Your previous reincarnation was presumably shorter in stature…or you are merely experiencing a fault in your memories from just reincarnating."

"I remember…a woman…no…_two_ women." Sheryl said with a frown of confusion. "They were so…beautiful. But I can't remember their names."

Yen Sid feared this, yet he could not bring himself to remind Sheryl too much of her old life. If she were to become Guardian of the Disneyverse, she would have to leave that life behind.

"Let us help you to relearn to walk, my _new_ apprentice." Yen Sid offered.

He did so with assistance from Mickey, as well as Pluto. They guided her to the nearest window from where Sheryl was able to receive a view of the medieval metropolis that Yen Sid's castle was located in. Buildings carried a form that crossed between a middle age castle and contemporary skyscraper, each one having windows that lit up in the night atmosphere like New York. Near the castle was a park, complete with a playground where children of varying species (typical human or anthropomorphic dog, duck, and beagle) played on swings, slides, and a jungle gym while their parents conversed nearby and kept eyes on them.

One child – a boy beagle – climbed atop the jungle gym and looked directly at the window Sheryl stared out from, smiling and waving at her. She blissfully returned the gesture.

"Congratulations, Sheryl." She heard Yen Sid say, turning to see him and Mickey standing from afar, much to her surprise. She looked to herself and was elated to have seen that she was standing all on her own, finally mastering self-movement again.


	2. Guilt Over Shame

**Guilt Over Shame (Allison's Tale)**

A pink-nosed rabbit bounced upon luscious, wet green grass with traces of mud on the fur of its front and hind legs. Coming upon a clearing, it sat timidly there on the ground, all alone in the dark, rainy forest. The poor little creature was drenched with nowhere else to go. Fortunately, a pair of soft, warm hands suddenly shielded it from the heavy drops that tap-danced upon its small, furry head. One of the hands scooped the baby rabbit from the ground while the other continued providing shelter.

The infant rabbit gazed up at his protector and grew even more timid once he realized that it was a big, strange being he had never seen before.

The substantial creature – a young human woman with long brown hair (drenched from the rain), brown eyes, and lush bright pink lips – smiled upon the baby rabbit. "It's okay, lil' fella. I gotcha." She giggled, stroking her right index finger across the baby rabbit's back to dry him off and provide him comfort and warmth that he had longed for since losing his way through the forest.

"Allison?"

The young woman quickly turned her head, the wet locks of her brown hair swinging along and whipping away droplets of water. Near the clearing, a six-foot, anthropomorphic panda donned in a red robe had been watching almost cautiously.

Brandishing the name of his species, John Panda not very long ago began his travels with Allison, the Guardian of the Disneyverse. However, at the start of the journey, the young brunette had a completely different face from the one she currently carried. Under the name "Ellison," a subtle change from her current name, Panda recalled having journeyed with a girl who had quite a bubbly personality, willing to help whatever poor, defenseless creatures she would come across in the realms they wandered through. Then, one fateful day, Ellison decided to "make a change" and, the day after, Panda was shocked to find the young lady he gaped upon at that moment.

Dressed in a flowery scarf with matching colors to a long burnt orange-colored blouse, forest green leggings with a braided pattern, a brown braided belt, and brown leather boots – all beneath a blue robe, she appeared dramatically different from her predecessor. Panda was aware of this capability of total physical change, a trait inherited from the first moment of Sean Thomas's rebirth into the Disneyverse. With each new incarnation came a difference in personality, and he still was not quite certain about Allison – even though she showed Ellison's kind-hearted nature in her tending to the baby rabbit. For several days, he kept his distance, Allison seeming not to have noticed one bit of his trepidation towards her. He made a decision at that second to stop being afraid of the girl and finally talk to her in the way he once did to Ellison.

Taking notice of his presence, Allison smiled at Panda while cuddling the baby rabbit. "Isn't he a cutie?"

"Uh, yeah…he is." Panda moved out onto the clearing, his black and white fur exposed to the heavy rainstorm that had well-bathe Allison in it. "What will you do with him?"

"Find his mother, of course. She's gotta be somewhere close by, right? This lil' fella couldn't have wandered far from his family." She carefully tucked the baby rabbit into a pocket inside of her blue robe, keeping him safe, warm, and dry there. She soon giggled when she felt the rabbit squirming against her chest.

Her sweet giggling brought a smile to Panda's furry face. "You're so much like her," he instinctively muttered.

"Like who?"

"Ellison."

Allison warmly smiled. "I knew I sensed a little fear in you over _this_." She gestured to her face.

Realizing he had been caught, Panda tried to play it off. "Erm, I wasn't afraid. Honestly, I wasn't."

"Mmm-hmm. You can't hide your real feelings from me, Johnny." Her demeanor turned more sincere when she added, "I understand completely if you're scared of the change. And if you think we should go our separate ways…I'll understand that, too."

He could see how sad she looked from the thought of losing her companion.

"I don't intend on leaving you behind, no matter how much your appearance has changed. You're stuck with me, Mistress."

Overjoyed from his decision, Allison again giggled uncontrollably, not because she was happy but because of the baby rabbit still squirming within her robe.

"Maybe we should get that little guy to his family, before he tickles you to death."

The two began their trek through the forest, searching for a rabbit hole that could have possibly been home to the baby rabbit.

"Your hair looks quite enchanting that way." Panda told Allison at one point in their trek.

Touched by the compliment, she giggled and said, "Oh, stop. I must look like a real hot mess with this new hair and face. _You_ look quite handsome though. That wet fur just glistens in this rain."

Panda smiled, but that smile swiftly faded with the heavy thunderclap sounding from above as the rainstorm grew fiercer. The rabbit in Allison's robe squirmed more profoundly from the thunder, making her giggle again, until he managed to jump right out of her robe and run away.

"Oh, no!" She exclaimed. "Come back, lil' fella!" She gave chase for the frightened creature while instructing her companion, "You keep on looking for that rabbit hole!"

"Yes, Mistress." Panda acknowledged.

He started to carry out the order before being distracted by a bolt of lightning that struck within an area not far from where he stood, shaking the earth. It was no ordinary lightning bolt, a fact that dawned on him prior to his conscious decision to investigate.

He happened upon a massive crater, which he found Donald Duck and Goofy standing right in the middle of, both of their bodies smoking from whatever bizarre teleportation spell they used to arrive in the _Bambi_ realm.

"Donald! Goofy!" He joyfully shouted, leaping right into the crater and running up to the two characters to hug them both. "It's a miracle you survived the destruction of Fantasia! Did Mickey and Yen Sid make it as well? Did _they_ survive?"

"I doubt _anyone_ made it out of that disaster – other than _us_." Donald remarked.

"Gwarsh, Donald." Goofy said. "We hafta hold out hope fer _someone_ else to. I'm sure alotta our friends made it. We did find Panda, didn't we?"

Panda optimistically nodded. "You have, my friend. And I have no doubt the Guardian will set things right and find a way to bring Fantasia back."

"The Guardian?!" Donald exploded with anger. "_She's_ the one responsible for Fantasia's destruction!"

Panda frowned. "What're you implying?"

"Word across the stars is that one of the Guardian's reincarnations was behind the attack on our home!" Donald divulged. "She's the one who brought all those monsters after us!"

"But, uh, we're not one percent sure of that."

"I believe you mean you're not 'one _hundred_ percent sure,' Goofy." Panda corrected.

"Well, I'm one _million_ percent certain that it's the truth!" Donald bellowed, his squawking voice echoed throughout the forest. "The Guardian is no guardian – she is a destroyer!"

"Panda!" They heard Allison's voice call out from the distance.

Goofy, not recognizing the voice, asked the imminent question: "Who's that?"

"That's the Guardian herself." Panda confirmed.

"Aw, phooey!" Donald retorted. "We know how the Guardian sounds, and that's _not_ the Guardian."

"She has a special ability that no other sorcerer has – her power of reincarnation." Panda informed. "She's a different person now."

As soon as Allison finally showed up at the site of the crater, she was shocked at first glance by it. "Wow. John, I wanted you to look for a rabbit hole, not a _whale_ hole." She giggled over her own joke while jumping into the crater, approaching Panda and the two familiar faces with him. "Donald? Goofy? You guys came all this way to see us? Aww! How sweet!"

Donald and Goofy exchanged a quick awkward glance, baffled by the perky persona of this reincarnation.

Allison opened her arms wide, gesturing for a hug. "Come on, guys. Bring it in."

Donald recoiled, hiding himself behind Goofy in fear while screaming, "Stay away from me, monster!"

Confused and hurt by his reaction to her, she whispered, "Monster?"

"Ignore him, Mistress." Panda said. "He's speaking nonsense."

"It was _you_ who took away our home!" Donald spoke out from behind Goofy. "_You_ destroyed Fantasia!"

Allison was even more perplexed than before. "What?"

Panda sighed and reluctantly clarified for her, "Donald is under the belief that one of your reincarnations – presumably a future one – was behind the extinction of Fantasia."

Crushed and speechless by this revelation, a shaky hand went to Allison's mouth, which was gaped open in her reaction. Without saying a word, she walked away from Panda, Donald, and Goofy and out of the crater, heading back into the woods.

The horrified look on Allison's face haunted Panda, feeling pity for the young woman and anger over Donald's accusations. In his anger, he looked to the duck and chastised him: "You're wrong about her – she's a protector, not a destroyer."

"Are you _really_ certain about that?" Donald questioned. "You said yourself that she's a different person. What if she becomes so different you don't recognize whether she's good or not?"

After overcoming his fears, now this seed of doubt had been planted by Donald within Panda. It was what the duck had left him with before vanishing from the _Bambi_ realm with Goofy in another bolt of lightning – this time coming from the ground rather than the sky. Standing alone in the crater, Panda departed from it to search for Allison.

Sometime later, he came upon a glorious lake with a succulent waterfall, one that Allison stood near on a cliff. There was quite a serene look on her face, although there was much sadness behind it.

Curse you, Donald, Panda thought. The judgmental duck left such an impression on her with his allegations. Who knew how long it would be before Allison returned to being her happy self again.

Panda noticed how she closed up her robe and then opened it again to reveal a striking golden bikini that magically replaced her usual clothing. Removing her blue robe from her body, Panda caught the full view of her slender, toned figure, which he almost felt guilty for peeping without her knowing he was watching from afar.

Allison dived from the cliff and fell thirty feet straight into the lake with a delicate splash, taking a relaxing swim in the cool water just in time for the rainstorm to cease. From this activity she partook in, Panda figured it was her way cleansing herself from the sins committed by the reincarnation of her that Donald claimed to be behind Fantasia's extermination; even though there was the possibility of it being a future action by a future reincarnation.

The idea of this beautiful young woman swimming in the lake being the one who destroyed Fantasia appalled Panda. Yet the thought of Donald's departing words still lingered in his judgment of the Guardian. _What if_ she does reincarnate into someone different…and dangerous?


	3. Say Forever

**Say Forever (Marla's Tale)**

A year had passed since the passing of her father, yet Brandy still could not bring herself to shed even a single tear for him. Her mother, on the other hand, still ever the enchantingly slim visage for a 64-year-old woman, cried so much that she would certainly reach dehydration soon enough. The both of them stood there in the Los Angeles cemetery, right in front of Sean's gravesite, paying their respects. For Christina, it had been for the hundredth time since her husband's passing. They each left a fresh, beautiful rose at the base of the gravestone.

And then one more was left, but by neither of them.

In their line of sight, they had seen the rose placed by a black-gloved hand. Following up the rest of the arm, they directed attention towards a redhead all dressed in black (shirt, jeans, gloves, boots, and a long trench coat) with an acoustic guitar hung from her back. She looked to be in her mid-thirties and was exquisitely gorgeous with her long, flowing bright red locks, flawless complexion, light blue eyes, and shiny pearly-white teeth.

"Who are you?" The shaken Christina questioned. "H-How do you know Sean?"

The redhead calmly held up her hands in protest. "I'm sorry. Real sorry. My name's Marla. I sang at the wedding for you and your husband."

Christina frowned. "That was _thirty_ years ago. You had to be like five years old at the time."

Marla bashfully smirked. "I was incredibly gifted for my age."

Christina nodded in acceptance. "There's not a whole lot I can recall from that day, other than saying 'I do' and thinking about the entire future I planned to share with my husband, but I'll take your word for it."

"I wanted to sing that song at his funeral, at his request, but I wasn't able to make it 'cause of prior commitments."

The very idea of a talented singer who began her career at the wedding of her parents made Brandy feel quite honored. With a warm smile, she requested, "Could you maybe sing that song for us now?"

Marla smiled over the request of the lovely, raven-haired 25-year-old. "Of course, hon." She swung her acoustic guitar from her back to her front and gently struck the chords. What then followed could only be described by Brandy and Christina as the voice of a true angel from heaven, once Marla sang the most touching song either of them heard:

_Promise me the moon and stars and all the goodness in your heart  
>Promise me a life of love with tears in your eyes<br>I'm gonna get dressed up in white and meet you down the aisle  
>With your hands in mine<br>Together for all time_

_Stay with me forever  
>To this wounded heart of mine<br>You're answered prayer  
>Stay with me and love me<br>To my eyes say each vow  
>With all your heart say it now<br>Say Forever_

_After all the broken hearts I found the love of my life  
>And after all the darkness<br>I found the day to my night  
>So promise me you'll still be there<br>When I get too uptight  
>No matter how spoiled I act<br>No matter how much we fight_

_Stay with me forever  
>To this wounded heart of mine<br>You're answered prayer  
>Stay with me and love me<br>To my eyes say each vow  
>With all your heart say it now<br>Say Forever_

A fresh stream of tears ran down from Christina's face. It was not only the beautiful song that touched her, but Marla's divine voice as well. Seeing how her tune had affected Christina, Marla grew concerned.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"

Christina waved it off with a comforted smile. "No, no. You're fine. It's just… I haven't cried like this since the last time I remembered all the times we had together. Those lyrics to your song…it's almost like Sean wrote them himself. They're so close to how he felt about me." She chuckled shyly. "I know that probably sounds a bit silly."

Marla shook her head. "No. Not at all."

"Would you like to join us for coffee?" Brandy brought herself to ask her. She was not certain as to why she gave the invitation. She had only met Marla for a few minutes and already felt a strong connection to her – as if she had known this soulful woman all her life.

The redhead seemed hesitant to say "yes." "Oh. I don't know."

"Please." Christina quickly said. "I insist."

Marla's pearly whites shined. "Sure. Why not."

* * *

><p>Three hours the three women spent in <em>Starbucks<em>, having lattes and sharing in laughs over stories Christina told about Sean – some of which Brandy had never heard about until that very day, including how her parents first met. Each and every one of them brought feelings of bliss and closure Brandy and Christina had not felt in those twelve months of mourning. Marla just seemed to eradiate such positive vibes; either that, or there was something to this tall redhead that made it feel to Brandy like her father was right there with her and her mother.

Shortly after Christina's last story, a tall, handsome young Hispanic man in a black t-shirt, jeans, and shoes walked into the coffee shop and approached their table. "Sorry that I'm late," he apologetically said with a slight New York-ish accent.

"Nah. It's O.K., babe." Brandy said before getting up to hug and kiss the young man right on the lips.

The passionate gesture took Marla by surprise. "And, uh, who's this fella?"

"This is Jatniel – my fiancée." Brandy introduced, surprising Marla even more. "Babe, this is a lovely friend we just made on our visit to Daddy's grave. Her name's Marla."

Marla stood up to shake Jatniel's hand. Taken aback by her impressive stature, he blurted, "Wow. You are a _big_ woman!"

Marla raised an eyebrow at his sudden comment. "Excuse me?"

"I mean…_Ow!_"

Jatniel felt a sharp pain in his right side, the spot where Brandy had promptly elbowed him, as if to remind him of his manners.

"Sorry. You'll have to excuse him for his outbursts." She told Marla. "It's a bit of a trait of his. He tends to speak before he thinks."

Marla nodded understandingly, while Christina got up from the table.

"Well, if you all will excuse me, I've got to go powder my nose."

Jatniel stared closely at Christina's face. "Your nose looks fine to me, Ms. Thomas."

Marla shook her head at the young man. Apparently, outdated clichés like the one Christina had just used completely went over the poor thing's head.

"No, babe. She means that she has to use the bathroom." Brandy clarified. "Which I do, too, now that it's been brought up." She gestured between her fiancée and Marla and added, "You two stay here and get to know a lil' more about each other."

While the mother and daughter were away, Jatniel and Marla sat together at the table. There was uncomfortable silence between them for what felt like eons – the light tapping of Marla's fingertips against the hardwood table the only accompanying noise. Her own tapping starting to turn into a nuisance for her, Marla finally decided to break the ice…

"So…how long have you known Brandy?"

"We first met when we were juniors in high school."

Marla frowned, seemingly baffled at this. "She never mentioned you to me."

"Why would she? You two only just met."

Realizing her slip-up, Marla covered: "She just shared so much of her history with me before you arrived." The truth was Brandy never mentioned a word about herself the entire time Marla was in the coffee shop with her and Christina, although she did not necessarily need to. There was enough Marla already knew.

"I've been in love with her ever since high school. I only manned up to propose to her just a month ago."

Marla's ears perked at this update. "So you two plan to tie the knot soon?" She could see in the befuddled look he gave her that the old cliché she used went over his head as the last one had, so she rephrased: "I mean, do you two plan on getting married anytime soon?"

"We hope to be within the month. To be bluntly honest with you, I'm nervous about the whole thing. I'm worried about my future with her as husband and possibly even father. I never really had any type of strong male role model since my father died when I was a baby."

Hearing this, Marla pitied the young man. "Oh, sweetheart. I'm so sorry."

Jatniel shrugged. "I really hoped I could've met Brandy's dad, Mr. Thomas, before _he_ passed. The things Brandy had shared about him made me think of him as something of a hero. I _want_ to be that type of man – a loving husband _and_ father, and a brave individual who would do anything for those he cares about. Man, I wish he were here right now to help me become that kind of man."

Caught up in his moment of admiration, Jatniel almost failed to catch Marla sniffling and wiping her eyes, which had deeply reddened, making her light blue eyes stand out more than before.

"Um, are you alright?" He asked her.

"My latte was too strong, that's all." She fibbed while taking a napkin from the dispenser on the table to clean up her runny mascara. Once she got herself together, she took Jatniel's hands into hers and addressed him with much sincerity: "You are already on your way in becoming the type of man Sean Thomas was – perhaps even _twice_ the man he was. I know if he was sitting right here with you in this coffee shop, he would be honored to know that his daughter is in such safe hands."

With a warm smile and a light kiss on Jatniel's forehead, Marla got up from the table and headed towards the exit. Watching her leave, Jatniel felt confused and inspired by her words. He was then urged to remind her, "Hey, wait. Brandy and Ms. Thomas are still powdering their faces. They'll want to know where you went."

Standing at the exit, Marla glanced back at him with that warm smile still on her face. "Tell them not to worry. Y'all will be seeing me again." And with that promise, she made her departure.

Jatniel was left feeling much better than he had when he walked in.

_What a nice lady_, he thought with a smile.


	4. Cold Awakening

**Cold Awakening (Theresa's Tale)**

A beautiful, sparkling ice sculpture sat peacefully at the base of a tree deep in the forest outside of Arendelle. The landscape was buried deep in snow and ice. Unfortunately, it was supposed to be summer. The wintery atmosphere was brought on accidentally by Elsa, the recently-crowned Queen of Arendelle, spread throughout the kingdom.

But that was not the worst reality of the tableau.

The ice sculpture was truthfully a victim of the first night that the winter outbreak occurred. A being known to many outside the world Arendelle existed in as the "Guardian of the Disneyverse." Her name – in her fourth reincarnation – was Marla. She traveled across many worlds, in and out of the Disneyverse, battling with loneliness in the vast parallel universe by whatever way she could.

One she had chosen was to pick a nice shady spot in the once-lush green forest near the mountains, playing her acoustic guitar to a rhythm that soothed away her seclusion. Her only audience was herself. And it worked perfectly, drifting her off to sleep at sunset.

Unfortunately, she would never wake back up.

The cold snap hit the area hard. Marla, normally an indestructible being as the Guardian, had frozen entirely. There was only one true way a Guardian could be killed and that was through powerful magic. Elsa's ice power was indeed strong enough to put an end to the life cycle of the Guardian's fourth incarnation.

Late one night, Marla's frozen body sat in the exact spot it had been for two nights straight. Her eyes were still shut, appearing as if she were still asleep. Her blue fedora-style sorcerer hat, her blue overcoat, her black sweater, her blue jeans, and her brown boots were all frozen solid, reduced to an icy state along with her flawless skin and long, gorgeous red hair, which looked white beneath the excessive amount of frost.

In the instant of her death, Marla's reincarnation process was activated. Her icy form was merely a shell that began to crack on that fateful night. Layers of ice shed, revealing an entirely different person underneath. Like a baby chick from its eggshell, a new woman broke out of the ice sculpture that was once Marla. She leapt away from the spot at the tree, naked by the lack of clothing that shattered with the rest of the last host.

The new woman tumbled across the snowy plain, fighting to get to her new feet and legs but having extreme difficulty doing so. Terror swelled up within her, enhanced from the night atmosphere, which was so dark she could barely see her own hands.

_Where am I? __What__ am I? Why is it so cold? Why can't I see? How do I get out of here? HOW DO I GET OUT OF HERE?_

These thoughts ran through her still-processing brain. Overwhelmed by the frustration of it all, she let out a horrified shriek into the night. Not very far, a pack of wolves heard the barbaric, echoing howl and followed suit on their own.

The woman continued to stumble through the cold, dark forest and did so all night.

By morning, she had reduced to crawling through the snow on hands and feet like an animal – hungry, lost, and scared. She could finally see her hands and how blue they had turned, courtesy of the frostbite that had overtaken them. She watched them dig into the twelve inches of snow until they splashed into an ice-cold stream.

Instantly, she saw someone staring back at her in the water – a curly-haired black man. She knew right away who he was and smiled, wildly reaching into the water as if to touch his face. Her reflection rippled. Once it subsided, she no longer saw the curly-haired black man staring back at her. Instead, there was a young woman with pale white skin, bright blue eyes, and long black hair…her _real_ reflection.

Disappointment reverberated through her, although she was not entirely certain as to why. For that one second she saw that curly-haired black man, she felt assured and whole. But now, with this new face, she felt empty and alone. Why did this face make her feel that way? It was so beautiful, friendly, and exquisite in design that it was a shame to see it reflect in the sadness that she felt.

After minutes of examination, the woman deemed it necessary to put a name with the face: "Theresa."

It was an instinctive choice. She could not determine the nature of it or why the name "Theresa" had any bearing to her lives before this one. She only knew it suited with the youthful face staring back at her.

* * *

><p>Making her way back to the spot where she reincarnated from, Theresa's naked body shivered. Her prolonged exposure to the chilling atmosphere finally settled in. No being – human or not – should be left out in such a setting without any proper clothing. This was evident from the snowflakes that stuck to her bare skin and hair. The hand she used to reach into the river was bluer than before and fell limp; she had lost all feeling in it. Her throat was too sore to swallow, and she felt feverish.<p>

Thankfully, she arrived at her destination, finding the shattered remains of her previous form sprawled out on the base of the tree, as well as her tracks from the other night still imprinted in the snow. With her one good hand, she picked up one of the shattered pieces of ice and discovered it to be Marla's face. The expression it carried – her last – was so serene, so peaceful. It was the way she deserved to go.

"I'm so sorry." Theresa mourned for her predecessor. It almost seemed strange to do so, considering it was a part of herself she held in her hands. She was still alive, standing there, exposed to the cold.

Looking toward the other pieces of Marla's remains, she discovered her blue overcoat and fedora, the only two articles of clothing that survived from being shattered. They were both still frozen stiff but somehow managed to thaw at the second Theresa retrieved them for herself. Once she put them on, she found herself cured from all of her ailments. Her body no longer shivered, her sore throat had vanished, and her frostbitten hand returned to its normal pigmentation to match with the rest of her, regaining movement and sensation in it.

Finally warm underneath the overcoat, Theresa tapped into her inherited power, using the magic to switch out the design of the overcoat to a cranberry-colored corduroy coat with sheep wool lining. As for the fedora, she altered it to a blue vintage French beret with the same white crescent moon and stars design that it maintained through her previous incarnations. She completed the new look with suitable new clothes: a maroon floral-printed bohemian tunic dress, skinny blue jeans, and short suede boots.

Satisfied with it all, Theresa proceeded to give a burial for Marla, gathering the pieces of her icy remains and piling snow over them. She figured once the frozen spell of Elsa's had been broken as it would be soon, the ice and snow would melt, leaving some part of Marla to join with the very land she died upon.

After paying her respects, Theresa wandered the snow-covered forest for hours until coming upon a little mountain cottage that had a perfect view of a kingdom caught in the center of the freak frozen weather. Something about this cottage, however, was very familiar to Theresa in more ways than one. But, due to being in the early stages of her reincarnation, she was unable to remember its significance.

Snow had completely engulfed most of its exterior, particularly its front. Concerned for the well-being of its occupant, Theresa went to the back, trying to look through the windows to find the resident. Between the darkness inside and the fogged pane of the windows, it was impossible to see anyone or anything.

That was until a bright flash of light shined from inside the cottage and through the windows, causing Theresa to fall back and land butt-first into the snow. The baffling circumstance shocked her to the core as she continued to stare at the snowed-up bungalow in wide-eyed astonishment.


End file.
